FOLLOWING Storm Ophelia, the Met Office this morning confirmed a new weather system heading towards Britain will go through an “explosive” development as it passes over ocean waters.

Forecasters are closely monitoring Storm Brian which is set to hit Britain today (Friday).

A Met Office spokesperson said: “A spell of strong southwesterly winds is expected. Some coastal routes and communities are likely to be affected by large waves, with potential for flooding of properties.

“Some transport disruption is likely across the warning area, with delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport. Short term loss of power and other services is also possible.”

Finlay Clark, UK head of the free, crowdsourced navigation app Waze is urging drivers to plan ahead this weekend.

“Data from Waze shows that when hazardous conditions like this hit, a journey time increases by approximately 30 per cent, so on an average drive of 45 minutes you’d be looking at an additional 14 minutes behind the wheel.

“Alerts – including accidents on the road – often increase by 140 per cent during stormy conditions. Speeds are reduced as drivers take more care, from 26mph to 22mph on average (a 16 per cent reduction). Meanwhile, a 20 per cent reduction on kilometres driven suggests that many people stay at home and only make essential journeys.

“If you have to drive in adverse weather conditions, Waze can re-route you around traffic and get you to your destination safely and effectively, guiding you on the best time to embark upon your journey.”

Over 1.8 million drivers in the UK rely on Waze’s crowdsourced real-time updates to save time on the road. Waze provides peace of mind by suggesting the fastest and most optimal route possible to any destination, by tracking real-time traffic.